Supreme Court votes to keep John Minton as chief justice for another term

The Kentucky Supreme Court this week unanimously voted to re-elect Chief Justice John Minton to the top judicial position for another four years, the Administrative Office of the Courts announced Thursday.

The seven justices voted Monday, while the court was meeting in Frankfort to hear cases.

“With this re-election, the justices have expressed their appreciation for the hard work and leadership of Chief Justice Minton,” said Mary C. Noble, deputy chief justice, in a statement. “We have an unusually close court that works together on all major issues under the guidance of our chief justice.”

Minton first joined the Supreme Court in the 2nd Judicial District that covers southwestern Kentucky in 2006. He took over as chief justice on June 27, 2008. The court elected him to the top spot upon the retirement of three-term Chief Justice Joseph Lambert.

As chief justice, Minton is responsible for overseeing the administration of the court system — its budget, rules and policies, as well as setting the schedule for the state’s highest court. Minton also served as a key member on a state task force to revamp the penal code and Controlled Substances Act that recommended changes to Kentucky’s drug laws and penalties that the legislature approved in 2011.

Lately, the court system’s budget issues have received more attention than any Supreme Court decision. Minton announced earlier this month that the court system will close for three days later this year in order to save costs, essentially furloughing the more than 3,300 court workers, including 283 judges, across the state.

Minton will be appearing on Pure Politics on Thursday night’s program. (7 p.m. EST/6 p.m. CST or 11:30/10:30 CST on Insight’s Channel 2. Or on demand at Channel 103)